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AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



The 



Ancient Basket Makers 



OF 



Southeastern Utah 




George H. Pepper 

Assistant, Department of Anthropology 



^*5^,'408 



SUPPLEMENT TO AMERICAN MUSEUM JOUR 
\0L. II, No. 4, APRIL, 1902 

Guide Leaflet No. 6 




American Museum of Natural History 

Seventy-seventh Street and Central Park West, New York City 



First Vice-President 

J. PiERPONT Morgan 

Treasurer 

Charles Lanier 



BOARD OF TRUSTEES 

President 
Henry Fairfield Osborn 



Ex Officio 



Second Vice-President 

Cleveland H. Dodge 

Secretary 

J. Hampden Robb 



The Mayor of the City of New York 
The Comptroller of the City of New York 
The President of the Department of Parks 



JOSEPH H. CHOATE 



Class of 1909 

J. PIERPONT MORGAN 
HENRY F. OSBORN 



J. HAMPDEN ROBB 
ARTHUR CURTISS JAMES 



CHARLES LANIER 
ANSON W. HARD 



Class of 1910 

Class of 1911 

SETH LOW 
Class of 1912 



PERCY R. PYNE 
JOHN B. TREVOR 



WILLIAM ROCKEFELLER 
GUSTAV E. KISSEL 



D. O. MILLS 
ARCHIBALD ROGERS 



ALBERT S. BICKMORE 
CORNELIUS C. CUYLER 
ADRIAN ISELIN, Jr. 



Class of 1913 



GEORGE S. BOWDOIN 
A. D. JUILLIARD 



CLEVELAND H. DODGE 
ARCHER M. HUNTINGTON 



EXECUTIVE OFFICERS 



Director 
Hermon C. Bum pus 



Assistant-Secretary and Assistant-Treasurer 
George H. Sherwood 



The American Museum of Natural History was established in 1869 to promote 
the Natural Sciences and to diffuse a general knowledge of them among the people, and 
it is in cordial cooperation with all similar institutions throughout the world. The Museum 
authorities are dependent upon private subscriptions and the dues from rnembers for pro- 
curing needed additions to the collections and for carrying on explorations in America 
and other parts of the world. 



The membership fees are, 

Annual Members! $ 10 

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All money received from membership fees is used for increasing the collections and 
for developing the educational work of the Museum. 

The Museum is open free to the public on every day in the year. 



The Ancient Basket flakers 



OF 



Southeastern Utah 



A GUIDE LEAFLET DESCRIPTIVE OF AN EXHIBIT 

IN THE 

AIVIERICAN nUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 



By GEORGE H. PEPPER 



of Ca^^,, 
JUL 2 1920 



'^/•^B 



NO. 6 

OF THE 

GUIDE LEAFLET SERIES 

OF THE 

AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY 

EDMUND OTIS HOVEY, EDITOR 
New York. Published by the riuseum. April, 1902 



^4k- ,....._ n.n^t- 



Second Edition, from stereotyped plates, May, 1909 



V 









f r 



202 



I.-^ 




SKETCH PLAN OF SECOND, OR MAIN, FLOOR. 



Thi' colU'Ction illustrating- tlu' ancient basket niakei's of southeastern 
Utah is in the soutlnvest corner of Hall No. 202 on the Second, or Main, 
floor of the West wing of the INIuseuin building. 



THE ANCIENT BASKET xMAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN 

UTAH. 

By Geop.'^tE H. Pepper, 
Assistant in the Department of Anthropologv. 

The southwestern part of the United States is noted archa?o- 
logicahy for its chff dweUings and pueblos. The cHff-houses are 
more numerous in Colorado, Utah and Arizona, but the largest 
group of ruined pueblos is situated in one of the broad canons of 
northwestern New Alexieo. These homes of the ancient people, 
though differing greatly in form and situation, as well as the cave 
lodges and boulder houses of the old river beds, were doubtless 
the result of environment, and were probably, to a certain ex- 
tent, occupied contemporaneously. The numerous problems 
suggested by these ruins have been studied by careful investi- 
gators, and exploration work has served to verify many hypo- 
thetical conclusions and to disprove as many more ; but the work 
may continue indefinitely, for each season brings to light some 
new problems of iniportance, and it is one of these that will' be 
considered in this paper. 

The Wetherill family of Mancos, Colorado, have been closely 
associated with the arch^rology of the Southwest for nearly a 
quarter of a century, and they have had the honor of bringing 
before the public the great Cliff-Dweller region of Colorado and 
Utah. They have been untiring in their efforts as collectors and 
are keen observers. Richard, the eldest son, was the leader of 
most of the exploring trips, and it was he who found, in the 
Grand Gulch region of southeastern Utah, the skeletons of an 
ancient people, whose skulls were markedlv different from those 
of the Cliff" Dwellers, and who named this new people the " Basket 
Makers." Two gentlemen, Messrs. McLovd and Graham, fol- 
lowed the pioneers and made a representative collection of the 
objects and utensils of the Basket people. It is from accounts 
of the region given by the last named explorers, supplementing 
the statements of the Wetherill brothers, whom I consider 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 



authorities on this subject, that I shall draw many of my 
facts. 

Richard Wetherill, in writing of this region, says: "Grand 
Gulch drains nearly all the territory southwest of the Elk moun- 
tains, from the McComb Wash to the Clay Hills, about one tlious- 
and miles of territory. It is the most tortuous canon in the whole 
of the Southwest, making bends from 200 to 600 yards apart, al- 




buHlML ^.-*vc uF BASKET MAKERS, GRAND GULCH, UTAH 



most the entire length, or for fifty miles, and each bend means a 
The Canons cavc or Overhanging cliff ; all of those with an exposure 
of Utah. to the sun had been occupied either for clift'-houses or as 
burial places. The canon is from 300 to 700 feet deep and in 
many places, toward the lower end, the bends are cut through by 
Nature, making natural bridges. Under these bridges, in some 
cases, are houses, and in such places are pictographs in the greatest 
profusion; the painted ones of the Basket Maker, with the later 
ones of the Cliff Dweller cut or incised in the rock without paying 
any attention to previous ones. Ingress and egress are very 
difficult, there being not more than five or six places where even 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 



footmen can ^et into or out of the canon. Water is fairly plentiful. 
Springs occur at \cry frc(iucnl intervals, running a short dis- 
tance and sinking in the sand perhaps to rise again lower down 
the canon. Wherever there are slopes a sjxirse growth of jjihon 
and cedar occurs; about the springs are cottonwoods, willows 
and box-elders; in the shaded side canons are mountain ash and 




^rj, 





















Bi,SK£T BURIAL, GRAND GULCH, U"^AH 

hackberry. The usual luish of the canon is scrul) oak. Canes 
or rushes cover tlie Inttom lands in the \-ic-inity of water." 

This. then, was the Ikmiic n\' the IJasket Maker, at any rate, so 
far as we know. There are e\-i(lences that a few, at least, of 
these people found homes in the caves as far south as the Canon 
de Chelle, but nine-tenths of the. caves inhabited by these people 
have been found in the Crand Ciulch country. 

The Cliff Dwellers practiced artificial flattening of the head. 
This flattening was confined to the posterior portion of the 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

skull, and was as pronounced in the women as in the men. 
The occipital deformity is so noticeable and so constant among 
Physical ^his people that a normal cranium among a lot of skulls 
Character- would attract the attention of an investigator. Mr. 
istics. Wetherill discovered that two forms of human skulls 

occurred in the canons: the broad, short, flattened cranium of 
the CHIT Dweller and a narrow, elongate, normal cranium. The 




BASKET BURIAL, GRAND GULCH UTAH 

latter was the only kind found buried under baskets, a fact which 
suggested to the discoverer the name "Basket Makers" as an 
appropriate appellation for the ancient people whose remains he 
had found. 

But these were not the onlv marked differences between the 
two people whose remains are so closelv associated. That the 
Basket Makers used the bow is doubtful. They had, however, a 
form of weapon unknown in the Southwest, either in ancient or 

6 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

modern times, save in tliis restricted area, the throwin^-stiek, 
whose nearest neij^hhor is found in ("hihiialuia, Mexico, in the 
form of the "atlatl," an implement of war eoncerninj^^ Weapons 
whieh wonderful tales were told by the early chroni- and 

clers of New Spain. There are other ini])lements and Utensils, 
utensils peculiar to this people, one of whieh is similar to the 
rabbit-stick used by the Ho])i Indians of to-da\'; luit the most 
striking features are the absence of houses in the ca\-es and the 
manner of bur\-ing the dead. 

The Basket Makers lived in caves, l)ut the investigations in 
this region furnish no e\4dences of their ha\'ing had stone houses. 
In some of the caves the houses of the Cliff Dwellers 

1 1 r 1 1 • r 1 1- n 1 Dwellings, 

nave been found o\-er the remains oi the earlier pKisket 

IMakers. In relation to the rooms e.\ca\"ate(l 1)\' the Basket 
Makers. McLoyd and (Iraliam sa\': "Some of the skulls in this 
collection were obtained from underground rooms that had been 
excavated in the clav bottoms of the ea\es. The largest of these 
rooms are as much as twent\'-t\vo feet in diameter. Thev ha\-e 
been filled in with ashes and other refuse, and the stone cliff 
houses constructed over them. The lieads taken from these 
rooms are of natural form, never hax'ing been changed 1:)\- i)res- 
sure. No skulls of this shape are found in the stone cliff houses 
that are in the same caves, and no llattened skulls are found in 
the underground rooms. Articles found in the rooms beneath 
the cliff dwellings are, to some extent, dilferent from those ob- 
tained in the stone liouses abo\-e." 

\\'etherill makes mention of a great manv (le])ressions in the 
form of "pot-holes," some of which were lined with baked ela\-: 
their use may have been, primarily, the storing of Mode of 
grain or ])n)\-isions, l)ut a secondarx- and final utiliza- Burial, 
tion was as a grax'C. In these carefulh' ])re])ared ])laces, the 
bodies of the people were buried. Thev were doul)led u]^ and 
placed at the IxHtom of the hole, then covered with beauti- 
ful feather or rabbit-skin robes and finally with baskets, 
either several small ones or one large canying basket. No 
matter what the character or qualit\- of the other mortuary 
articles might be, the basket was almost in\-arial)h' in evidence. 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

The bodies exhibited, eommonly known as mummies, testify 
forcildy to the (h"vness of tlie eaves in whieh thev were found. 
They were not suhjecleil to an artifieial mumniifvinsj^ "Mum- 
process, as many j)eople imaL,nne and as the eommon mies." 
name would imply, but were buried in the usual manner, Nature 
alone being responsible for their present condition. The body 
instead of decaying, slowly dried. Tlie (lesh wasted away, under- 
going a gradual process of desiccation, until tlie skin, flattened 
on the bones by the pressure of the eartli aboxc it, became a 
parchment-like co\-ering tliat enclosed the skeleton. Tliis work 
of Nature was so wonderfully done tliat tlic indix'idual external 
features and ]^eculiarities, althougli somewhat (Hstcjrted, are per- 
fectly preser\-ed. The hair, eyebrows and nails are intact, and 
the ears, the nose, the skin of the face and other fleshy parts of 
the body are so perfect that they ]ia\-e l)een rendered almost 
life-like bv a process employed in one of our unix'crsities. Nature, 
in this region at least, lias been kind to the archccologist, and, 
through her carefully prepared store-houses, has made it possible 
to verify manv hypotheses, while at the same time she has pre- 
served for the student many in\-alual)le records of the past. 

The Culture of the Axciext Pj.\sKi:r M.xkers. 

Although most of the ancient Pueblo pco])le and C]\\( Dwellers 
were masters of the art of making pottery it would seem, from 
the data at hand, that the Basket Makers had not 

Pottery. 

developed whatever aljility they may have had ni that 
line. In fact, the maiority of the vessels found with the remains 
of these people are of a yerv crude type, in(hcatiye oi the first 
steps in fictile art as pointed out by specialists. McLoyd and 
Graham, in speaking of this ware, say: "The third kind of 
pottery is very valuable, less than hfty pieces lia\-ing been found 
up to date, and those in the underground rooms that have been 
mentioned as being underneath the Cliff dwellings and in the 
same caves. It is a \-ery crude, unglazed ware, some of the 
bowls showing the im]n-int of the l)askets in which they were 
formed." 

The pottery mentioned in this statement is on exhibition in 

9 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

the table case in front of the wall case referred to, and will be 

described in detail in a future publication. 

The lari^e jars on the u])])cr sliclf of the wall case containinjr 

the baskets are from the caNcs in wliich some of the remains of the 

Basket Makers were fount h 1)ut thev are from the „ , , 

" Vessels for 

upi^er levels and are the work of the Cdiff Dwellers. Cooking 

]\Iany were used as cookin<^ vessels, but most of the and 

larger ones were rece|)tacles for corn and other ])rovis- Storage. 

ions. Some of the jars still retain tlie corn and seeds that were 

placed there by their original owners, wliile otliers are covered 

with soot that sliows tlie use made of tliem in the culinarv 

department. It will be noticed that most of the kirge jars have 

rounded bottoms, necessitating a stand or l)ase to keep them 

in an u])right ])()sition. The stand used was in the form of a ring 

made either of yucca ("Spanish bayonet") or cedar bark and one 

of these may be seen attached to the base of a jar. It foims 

part of a harness made of yucca lea\-es, wliich also ser\-ed to 

strengthen the jar, and facilitated the c;nTying of such a vessel. 

This form of jar is common throughf)ut the greater ])art of the 

Pueblo and Cliff Dweller countrw nnd is a good example of the 

ware in which the coils ha\-e not been obliterated b\' smoothing. 

The bottle-necked olla and a bowl are shown as examples 
of another form. In these the surface has been smoothed and 
ornamented with painted designs. In the corrugated other 

jars, the desigtis are generallv incised, and are either Forms 

lines or slight depressions forming figures. In the °^ J^^- 
former stvles of decoration a \-ucca lirush is used, while in the 
latter a bone im|)lement or stick or e\-en the finger Ucuil was 
enough to give the desired effect. 

The foot co\-cring of the ancient sedentary ]KX)]de is interest- 
ing enough to hll a 1)ook witli instructix'C text, but we must 
merely glance at that liere shown and ]^ass on to tlie Sandals: 
great collection of l)askets. The \-ucca ])lant furnished Material, 
the material from which these sandals usuall>' were made. Some 
were plaited from the s])lit leaves of the broad-leaved sjX'cies, 
while for others the entire leaf of the narrow-leaved ])lant was 
utilized. In making the sandals the progression was from the 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

toe to the heel. Another form, a thick pad-Hke sandal, was 
made from yucca fibre loosely wo\'en, while a fourth was a 
carefully woven product, both warp and woof being yucca cord. 
Other materials were employed in the manufacture of these 
useful articles, and specimens illustrating this fact may be seen 
in the table case east of the one under consideration. 




^^IP" 






FOCD TRAY WITH BUTTERFLY DESIGN 



There is a marked difference in shape between the sandal of 
the Basket Makers and that of the Cliff Dwellers. The latter 
Sandals: has a pointed toe, and there is a jog or step a few 
Shape. inches from the toe end. The sandals of the Basket 
Makers have square toes, apparently without exception. From 
the crudest form made from broad leaves to the finest woven 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

product, there is no deviation. The Wetherill brothers made 
this a point for s]xx>ial investip;ation, and the square-toed form 
seemed to ]~)ersist to the exehision of the re<j:ular chff-house 
type. We have McLoyd and (iraham's views in the followin.s^ 
words: "' We are of the opinion that those [sandals] with square 




FOOD TRAY WITH WATER-FOWL DESIGN 



toes were made hv a race wlio inhabited tlie underground 
rooms. This view is formed from finding them lun-ied witli 
mummies of that race and is strengthened by tlie fact that we 
have found none in the caves where such ruins do not exist." 
Thus we may safely assume that this is another characteristic 

13 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

in which the Basket Makers differ from the Chft" people: at all 
events, the matter is worthy of further study. 

The baskets taken from the various caves of the Grand Gulch 
region, and shown for the first time in this case, form as complete 
a collection of pre-historic wickerwork as may be 
found in this country, and present a new field for the 
student of ancient weaves. All the large baskets were found 
with the Basket Makers. The Cliff Dwellers made baskets, and 
may ha\-e learned the art from these people, but most of their 
productions were small and unornamented. According to Mc- 
Loyd and Graham: " The large flat baskets or platters have only 
been found in the underground rooms that have been mentioned." 
These large dishes or trays are well represented in the Museum 
exhibit. 

The Wetherill Collection. 

The northern half of the case is devoted to the material col- 
lected bv the Wetherill brothers and is the first collection of note 
that came from the Grand Gulch country. Tlie unic[ue character 
of manv of these baskets wouli warrant a technical treatment, 
and the weaves, materials, dyes and desigis are all deserving of 
a more detailed description than this account will permit. 

The baskets that claim attention when the case is first ap- 
proached are the ones that cover the bodies. They are really 
Burden burden baskets and, though used to cover the bodies 
Baskets. after death, were not specificallv mortuary baskets. 
Thev are from three to four feet in diameter and are conical in 
form. Some of them still retain their carrying cords and show 
evidences of long use. As burden baskets they were no doubt 
used in carrving wood, grain, fruits etc. They are of the coil 
pattern and have the three-stick core. We find this form of 
basket in use at the present time among the Apaches, Pah Utes 
and most of the tribes of northern and central California. In 
the modern tribes, liowever, almost all baskets of this shape are 
of the bam tush wea\'e, a weave in which the warp is perpen- 
dicular instead of being in the form of a horizontal coil. 

The ornamentation here shown is angular and well defined, 

14 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

and apjiroaclies in decoratix-e effect the modern work of tlie 
Maidu Indians of California. The material used in the Omamen- 
construction of the basket is willow. wSplinls of this tation. 

material liave been dyed black and a peculiar dull red, and these 
two colors form the design as shown in the basket on page 8. 




FOOD TRAY WITH BUTTERFLY A\D WATER-FOWL DESI3NS 



The conical bottom of this basket has l)een reinforced and 
strengthened with heavy yucca cord, 1)ecause the basket is always 
put down with this ])art resting on the ground. Tins feature 
may be noticed in the Pali Ute burden baskets of the present 
day, but the Pah Utes generally bind their baskets with 
rawhide. 

IS 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

On the first or lower shelf of the Wetherill collection there is 
a series of eight baskets that were probably used as food trays or 
Food Tr vs "^^^^ bowls. Some may have been used as gambling 
or Meal trays with which to toss the bone and wooden dice, 
Bowls. while others were, possibly, ceremonial obiects that 
were used only on special occasions. This series is composed of 
specimens that are practically of the same form. They are made 
of willow stalks and splints and are of the "three-rod founda- 
tion" type, as illustrated and described by Professor Otis T. 
Mason in the AniericcDi Anthropologist, X. S., vol. 3, Xo. i, 
p. 122. Since almost all of the baskets made bv these people 
are of this type, Mason's description of this i:)articular form of 
weave as given in the article cited may be c^uoted here. 

"Three-rod foundation — This is the type of foundation called 
bv Dr. Hudson, baui isn icii. Among the Pomo and other 
Mode of tribes in the western part of the United States the 
Manufac- most delicate pieces of basketrv are in this style. Dr. 
ture. Hudson calls them the "jewels of coiled basketrv." 

The surfaces are beautifully corrugated and patterns of the most 
elaborate character can be wrought on them. The technic is as 
follows : Three or four small, uniform willow stems serve for the 
foundation. The sewing, which may be in splints of willow, 
black or white carex root, or cercis stem, passes around the three 
stems constituting the coil, under the upper one of the bundle 
below, the stitches interlocking. In the California area the 
materials for basketry are of the finest qualitv. The willow 
stems and carex roots are susceptible of division into delicate 
filaments. Sewing done with these is most compact, and when 
the stitches are pressed closely together the foundation does 
not appear." 

Accepting this description as covering the generalities of 
manufacture, we may proceed to the examination of a few of 
the individual peculiarities. Beginning with the second specimen 
from the right of this part of the case we have a basket seventeen 
inches in diameter, which is slightly concave. The stitch is the 
ordinarv "wrap stitch" with the exception of a space about an 
inch and one-half from the end of the outer coil, where the 

16 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

herring-bone stitch was used. This stitch is employed by the 
modern Pah Utes, Xavajos, Supais and Pimas, Ijut with tliese 
tribes tlie entire rim is fmislied in this manner. The desijj^n on 
this basket, as shown on page 12, is a very unusual one. Mr. T. 




""^^sswfcfeifc:: 



OPEN WORK, OR "blFrER " BASK'^T 



F. Barnes of Los Angeles, C\difornia, has suggested that it may 
be a con\-entionalized representation of butterflies and Butterfly 
that the basket was probably a ceremonial one. used Designs, 
when a child was born, the butterfly being symbolical of the new 
life. In verificati(^n of this supposition, the entr\- in Wetherill's 
original catalogue shows that this basket was found over the 
" partially mummified remains of a child." The design is in two 

17 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

colors. The space below the bar and between the wings is a dull 
red-brown, the remainder of the figure being black. These de- 
signs are not equidistant as is generally the case in ancient decora- 
ti\'e work of this region, and the position of one of the figures 
directly below the finished end of the outer coil may point to a 
symbolic relation between the design and the closed or finished 
coil. 

Another decoration, as interesting as it is odd, is shown in 
the fourth basket from the same end of the case. This basket 
Water- was found in a cave and may be seen in position in 
fowl the plate on page 5. In this instance the basket 

Design. covered the head and upper part of the body, the 
remainder being wrapped in a feather-cloth robe. The figures 
shown in this basket, forty-four in number, were evidently made 
to represent ducks or other water-fowl, and they form two lines 
or series (p. 13). All the figures pointing in one direction are 
black; those facing them are dull red, and are raised slightly 
above the others in a horizontal plane. A line of black near the 
rim constitutes the remaining feature of the decoration of this 
basket. In size and material it is practically the same as the 
one just described and the design is similar, in some respects, 
to the fifth basket, which is also decorate! with the bird figure. 
In the photograph of this basket shown on page 15 it will be 
seen that the designs in the two baskets that have been described 
last are combined in this one. The bird-forms are practically 
Other the same, but the body of the butterfly, if it be one, 

Designs. is represented by one instead of three parts. In the 
former the figure may have been made to represent the butterflv 
just after its emergence from the chrvsalis, with the wings ex- 
tended, which would have been a pretty svmbolization of the 
new life as applied to the infant, while in the latter the wings 
are folded, and the butterflies, like the birds, are resting. The 
designs, however, mav have a cosmic significance, the figures 
typifying the gods of the air and the water. An interesting 
feature of these figures is the antenna-like projection that mav 
be noted on both baskets. There is a black coil near the rim 
of the basket; where this ends there are two black stitches on 




BOWL-SHAPED BASKET WITH SUN-AND-MOUNTAIN DESIGN 



BOWL-SHAPED BASKET WITH MOUNTAIN DESIGN 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

the outer coil. From this point to the end of the coil is a little 
more than an inch, and the finishing half of this portion is done 
in the " herring-bone stitch." 

Inasmuch as all the other baskets on the shelves are of the 
same form and general workmanship as those already described, 
Sifter we will pass on to those on the floor of the case. Here 

Baskets. ^^ve find a type, shown on page 17, which is unusually 
interesting. It is a sifter basket of the single-stick variety and 
the weave is very peculiar. The basket is nine and one-half 
inches in diameter and two inches deep. The fact that it is a 
coiled basket makes it doubly worthy of notice. Sifter baskets 
are found among the Apaches, Pimas, Pah Utes and Pomas of 
the present day, which are, however, of the bam tush weave. 
Open-stitch work is seen to-day among the Klikatats of Wash- 
ington and in the Attn baskets of the Aleutian islands. This 
basket is made of willow and is well preserved. It is not dec- 
orated, but the stitch is a peculiar one and therefore lends a 
charm that claims our attention. An examination of the spec- 
imen, or even of the photograph, will serve to give a better idea 
of the structure than could be gathered from a description. 

While considering the large baskets it may be well to ex- 
amine those collected by McLoyd and Graham and then return 
to the smaller specimens in the Wetherill collection. 

The McLoyd and Grah.a.m Collection. 

The McLoyd and Graham collection occupies the southern 
half of the large case. The first specimen to be considered is the 
second one from the right on the first, or bottom, shelf, and it 
is ]:)robably the most beautiful example of pre-Columbian basket- 
work in existence. The basket is of the three-stick weave, with 
flat bottom and flaring sides, and is seventeen and one-half 
inches in diameter and five inches in depth. The highly orna- 
mental geometrical design, in black and dull reddish brown, 
is illustrated on page 19. This basket, like many others, was 
found buried with the bodv of a child which had been wrapped 
in fur-cloth and deerskins. From the aesthetic standpoint, this 
basket is a treasure, and its utilitarian value must have been 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

as great as its ornamentation is beautiful. The s])lit willows 
forming the design were dyed a glossy blaek and a dull reddish 
brown, the pattern formed of the latter eolor giving the effeet 
of an under-tint. The design is l)old and somewhat startling 




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FOOD OR GAMBLING TRAY 



and is confined to the flaring part. The flat bottom presents 
the appearance of a disc from which wings extend; Winged 
the designs forming these appendages start from the Design. (?) 
opposite sides of its circumference, which is defined by two 
black lines. These wingdike figures are broad and have serrated 
edges. They extend to a black line that forms the second coil 

2 I 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

of the rim. On one side of each wing there are two well defined, 
lines that have the appearance of wave-lines. On the other 
side there is a design in the dull red color that seems almost like 
a shadow. This too is flanked by two lines similar to the ones 
just mentioned. There are two designs similar to those em- 
ployed by the Pomas of the present day. They are in the form 
of mountains and occupy positions on opposite sides of the 
basket. The base of these figures rests against the black line 
Sun-and- ^'^^'■^^ skirts the rim and the terraced tops almost reach 
Mountain the rim of the central part. The most forcible im- 
Design. (?) pj-ession of this ornamentation in its entirety is that 
of the winged sun soaring over the earth as represented by 
the mountains. Neither a photograph nor a description can 
do justice to this wonderful evidence of the work that could 
be done by the old people ; the specimen itself must be examined 
if one would fully appreciate the capabilities of the ancient 
Basket ]\Iakers. 

Another basket of beautiful design and workmanship is 
figured on page 19 and may be seen on the first shelf of the 
Mountain case. It is similar to the one just described both in 
Design. (?) shape and weave. Its special claim upon our atten- 
tion is its decoration. This is in the form of heavy mountain- 
like figures that form a band midway of the rim. There 
are the same lines of black separating the bottom and upper 
part as seen in the other baskets, then there is a plain space 
before the terraces begin. There are seven of these pyram- 
idal figures and their bases are joined, forming a rosette. The 
tops of the figures are toward the rim and rest against a black 
coil. A single black coil near the rim completes the ornamenta- 
tion. This basket and the one with the wing design are the 
only ones in our collections with heavv designs, the tendency 
being toward a more delicate treatment. 

A third specimen of the flat-bottomed form is shown on page 
21. It has the double coil of black that forms the limit of the 
bottom piece and from this the sides extend, their edges being 
twenty inches apart. The design is in black and is formed by 
two zig-zag bands, one of which is near the rim and the other 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 



near the bottom. Tliis basket was found with a mummy and 
with it were three (jthers. It has weathered more than the 





YUCCA SPLINT BASKET 



FOOD BASKET OF COILED WORK 














SMALL STORAGE BASKETS 



other baskets, l^ut it is one of the kirgest, and the design is a 
very striking one. There is a gambHng tray from the Tule 
River reservation, Cahfornia, in the Briggs collection in the 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

American Museum, that has a design similar to this one, and 
the weave of the basket is practically the same. 

Turning to the coarser weaves we have on page 23 two baskets 
that show conclusively that thev were made for every-day use. 
Coarsely ^'^*^ ^^ '^ bowl-shaped piece eleven inches in diameter 
Woven and four and one-half inches deep; it is of the usual 
Baskets. j^qj| pattern, but coarselv woven as compared with 
those already noted. This basket was used until the bottom 
gave out and even then it was not discarded. It was mended 
with strong strips of split willow and each strip included two 
coils. The basket was strengthened to such an extent by this 
reinforcement that it was really as good as new. The second 
basket shown on this page is made of yucca leaves. It is four- 
teen inches in diameter and four inches deep. This form and 
weave are common among most of the modern Pueblo tribes and 
even the finish is the same. It is also found among the Apaches 
and Pimas. The rim is a willow stick over which the yucca ends 
have been bound and tied, the tying being done on the outside. 
A number of smaller baskets of this type are shown in the case 
and one of them is figured on page 23 among the baskets shown 
with their original contents. 

The basket last mentioned is exactly like the large yucca 
one, except in size, and in the plate cited we may see it as it was 
Storage found. It is filled with beans, which must have been 
Baskets. raised in quantities bv the ancient people, since a great 
many have been found in the debris of the rooms. 

The basket shown above the one just mentioned is rather pe- 
culiar in form, since the bottom is oval, a rather unusual shape 
Oval in pre-historic baskets. Most of the baskets from the 

Baskets. caves are round, but several of the oval form have been 
found; enough, in fact, to show that the shape is not a freak. 
This specimen is eiglit inches long, three and one-half inches 
wide at the top, two inches wide at the bottom, and four and 
three-quarter inches long. Its depth is four inches. This basket 
is of the three-stick weave, and the materials used are the same 
as in the others. The bottom is flat and there are two coils of 
l)lack separating the top and bottom. There are two pointed 

24 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

designs in black near the rim on either side. When found, these 
baskets were filled with po])pe(l corn, pihon nuts and seeds. 

In the lower right-hand corner of the same photograph there 
is rexjresented a small basket containing feathers which were kept 
in place by means of a piece of cotton cloth completely filling the 
upper part of the basket. 




YUCCA BASKET AS FOUND IN A CAVE, GRAND GULCH UTAH 



The remaining three baskets represented on page 23 are of 
the "in-curve" form. Two have flat bottoms. l)ut the third is 
like an olla in sha|)e. Thev have the three-stick core, "in-curve" 
and the weaving of the two shown in the left part of Baskets, 
the picture is the same as that already describe:!. Tlie third, 
in the upper right-liand corner, has wliat is known as the "skip 
stitch," which may be seen in some of tlie old Pima baskets. 
The ordinary in-curve basket is found among tlic modern Pomos 
of California, but is extremely rare among ancient peoples. 
These baskets, although not as jirctentious as the larger ones, 
present a phase of the domestic life that appeals to the student, 
because thev are the receptacles for holding the little things 
that are so common and yet so essential in the every-day life. 

25 



THE ANCIENT BASKET MAKERS OF SOUTHEASTERN UTAH 

Some were storage baskets in which seeds were kept, perhaps 
for the next season's planting. One of them contains pinon gum, 
which was their paste and glue. With this gum thev mended 
their broken vessels and made their baskets water-tight, as may- 
be seen by the oUa-bottomed basket represented in the plate. 
This little water bottle is filled with pumpkin seeds and the 
covering of gum has rendered it water-tight. 

Another form of basket that may be considered under this 
class is shown on page 25. It is more like a yucca bag than a 
basket, and yet it is made in the same way as are the other yucca 
productions. It is really a small storage basket and it is here 
shown filled with shelled corn while about it are scattered ears of 
corn. This basket and corn were found in a pot-hole in a cave 
and were no doubt cached in this place for future use. Near 
the basket just described and leaning against the back of the case 
Mortar is a Specimen that is evidently a mortar basket. It is 
Basket. thirteen inches in diameter and three and one-half 
inches deep. The interior is coated with meal and the surface 
of the coils is worn as though from blows of a pestle or grinder. 
The home of the mortar basket is in Cahfornia and, should future 
investigations show that this form of basket was used by the 
ancient people of Utah, it will mark the eastern limit of the type, 
so far as known. 

Much more might be said concerning these interesting objects. 
Those that have been noted are worthy of a detailed description and 
there are more than fifty others in this case that must be passed with- 
out even mention. The collection as a unit may be studied with 
the help of this introduction, which will prepare the student for 
more specific information regarding the arts of the Basket Makers. 

Note. — The various types of baskets mentioned in this description of the 
remains of the pre-historic inhabitants of south-eastern Utah are also to be seen 
in the basketry of the Indian tribes now inhabiting Cahfornia and other parts 
of the western United States, e.xamples of which are on exhibition in the West 
hall, ground floor; and in that of the natives of British Columbia, Alaska and 
the Aleutian islands, as exhibited in the North hall, ground floor. Inasmuch 
as the same design expresses different ideas when used by different tribes, it is 
well for the reader to bear in mind the point made clear in the text by the 
author of this Leaflet, that the interpretation offered here for the designs on 
the pre-historic baskets is wholly conjectural. — Editor. 

26 

RD 1 2.8 



No. 


13. 


No. 


14. 


No. 


15." 


No. 


16. 



No. 12.— THE COLLECTION OF FOSSIL VERTEBRATES. By W. D. Mat- 
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A GENERAL GUIDE TO THE AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL 
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The American Huseum Journal 



Edmund Otis Hover, Editor. 
Frank M. Chapman, \ 
Louis P. Gratacap, > Advisory Board. 
William K. Gregory, ) 

The Journal is sent free to all ^Members of the Museum. 



Guide Leaflets published by the 
AMERICAN MUSEUM OF NATURAL HISTORY. 
For Sale at the Museum. 
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{Continued on page 3 of cover.) 






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